WAR
by Life Starts Now
Summary: Drake's alive, and he has captured Diana. Caine will do anything to get her back. Even if it means starting a War with the Darkness, which has forced Lana to give it a body. Older teen for graphic torture scenes, violence, and language.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

**This'll be my first Gone story that is not a Oneshot. In fact, I plan on making it very long. It contains some torture scenes and lots of horror, so it's definitely T rated. This is the pilot chapter, so it'll be a little longer than subsequent chapters. Without further ado . . . Chapter One**

"Where's Diana?" Caine snarled. "Where is she?"

His hands, clenched into fists on the kitchen table, trembled.

Sam paused, fork midway to his mouth. He dropped it, looked at Caine, sighed. "How would I know?"

Caine growled under his breath and, suddenly, the table crashed against the far wall. Food, dishes, and silverware splattered. Three sets of shocked eyes stared at Caine; Sam, Astrid, and Mary. The only one who didn't look was Little Pete, who was currently engaged in his game boy.

"Where is she?" Caine snarled again.

Sam was on his feet in a second, face-to-face with Caine, "Hold on. The rules were no violence, or you're out." He referred to the "Terms of Acceptance," Which Astrid had written up. In no certain terms, she had stated that Caine must be a model citizen to be allowed to remain in Perdido Beach.

"Where's Diana?" Caine seemed to completely ignore Sam's words.

If it came to a fight, then Astrid, Mary and Little Pete (although the little Pete part was iffy) would be in danger. Sam gritted his teeth.

"Where is she?" Caine repeated. He slumped to the floor.

Sam realize that Caine wasn't exactly a threat in this state, and squatted down next to him. "She's missing?" He asked in a softer town.

Caine nodded in defeat. "She hasn't been home since yesterday morning. I didn't worry last night because she likes to stay out late, but I searched through the whole town today and I still couldn't find her . . . " His face twisted in rage. "I'm going to find her." He jolted to his feet.

"Hang on, Caine, we'll find her. I'll ask Brianna to search the town." Even know Brianna probably wasn't feeling too sympathetic for Diana, if she was given enough Albertos, she would probably comply.

"I'm going to find her," Caine repeated, and stalked out of the house.

DDDD

Diana woke slowly, to a horrible headache and absolutely no idea where she was. Air chilled her arms and legs, and an involuntary shiver ran through her.

"You're finally awake."

She recognized the voice. She'd know it anywhere. It was a voice that had plagued her nightmares since the night since the day he'd been left to the Darkness.

She jolted up. Her eyes flew open. She tried to stand, but he grabbed her around the neck and slammed her back down to the ground.

"I was certain you'd blink out, Diana," Drake said, his tone deceiving friendly. "But I guess you're still here. Had a change of heart?"

You could say that, if realizing you were madly in love with a person was a "Change of heart." But showing Drake any emotion except relentless disinterest would get her killed.

"I can't believe you were all alone," Drake laughed, almost hysterically. "Walking down a street, all alone! The FAYZ isn't safe for a girl like you. Too bad you didn't know that."

She wanted to reply with something sarcastic, but his hand around her throat made it difficult to even breath.

"And now I've got you. The only thing that would make this better would be if Caine was here," Drake gave another laugh. "But you'll do."

He seemed to realize that she was suffocating, and let her go. She slumped, gasping in huge breaths. While she pretending to be regaining her breath, she surveyed her surroundings. She recognized it. It had been the sixth grade math class, before the FAYZ. Now most of the desks had been dragged away, leaving Diana with no way to make a weapon.

She was back at Coates. Where Drake ruled supreme. Screaming would be useless. He terrified the former students. Which meant she was on her own.

Diana's fingers curled into claws.

"If you knew all the awful things I've got planned for you, you be quaking fear. If you knew how much it'll hurt, you'd probably already be dead. Can you wait? I bet you can't."

She lunged to her, her world narrowing down to tunnel vision. _Door. Door. DOOR! _Her hands had just closed around the handle when the whip curled around her stomach. Knocked the breath out her. Squeezed her tightly. Then slammed her against the far wall.

She must've blacked out for a second. Because when her eyelids cracked open, Drake was standing over her, grinning hugely.

"Wow, Diana, I think I like you better unconscious."

Blood dripped down her face. She felt it roll down her neck, pool at the base of her throat. She spat out a broken tooth, and struggled into a sitting position. Brick dust and chunks of brick spilled around her. Thank god she'd hit the wall with her left side, not her head, or she'd be dead.

A numbing, searing pain made its way up her left arm. She looked down at her wrist, and saw the white thing sticking through her skin. Bone.

She screamed. Screamed and screamed and screamed. Her pride didn't matter; the fact that it was futile didn't matter. The only thing she could comprehend was the pain.

"_AHHHH!"_

Through the sound of her hoarse cries, she could hear Drake laughing. She gritted her teeth and forced away the pain, sat up. Bent over, held it in. But she couldn't keep it in for long.

"_GRAAAH!"_

Drake crouched down next to her, his face next to hers. He started to speak, but she bit down the pain again, and spoke through halting, strained breaths.

"God, you're such a loser, Drake. Can't even do anything except what the Darkness gave you. You're weak on your own. If it weren't for the whip-"

He punched her in the jaw. The force of the blow sent her head smacking against the wall. She saw stars.

"I don't need the whip, you pathetic bitch." He snarled. "I can kill you all on my own." He punched her again, with even more force. Her mouth tasted of blood.

Her plan was to make him try to use a gun on her. Then – maybe- she could snatch it out of his hands. If she was really, really lucky.

He lifted her up by the collar. "I can hurt you so easily. You're the weak one here," He slammed her left side into the wall, her broken bone splintering – out side of her body.

"_AGRRRAHHAAA!"_

"Yeah, that's the sort of scream I want to hear. Do it again, just for me."

If she'd had any more strength in her, she would've bit her tongue so she couldn't scream. But she couldn't. Couldn't do anything but shriek until her throat grew hoarse.

"Anything else you wanna say?" Drake dropped her to the ground. She slid to the floor. "Where are all your smart remarks, Diana? You gonna be silent for once?"

She muttered something. He knelt down next to her, "Huh? What's that?"

She spat in his face. "Screw. You."

He wiped the bloody spit from his eye, quite calmly. The calmness twisted into rage when he grabbed her by the throat again, shoved her against the wall. Her vision already danced, but lack of air blurred everything.

"Bitch! I'll make you pay." He breathed. He was panting. His gaze trailed down her broken, bruised, bleeding body. Part of her collared shirt had been ripped, revealing the black lace of her bra. "And I know exactly how."

He ripped the rest of the shirt away from her body. His rough hands were all over her, everywhere. Diana managed to scream again, then spit out, her words slurred.

"I'm half-dead, you moron! Only a psychopath would get-" She got no further before he punched her again.

"Don't call me that! I'm not a-"

Maybe she was the crazy one, because she started to chant, "Psychopath, psychopath, psychopath, psychopath, " Over and over again. She knew she was gonna die. She just wanted to piss him off one more time before she went.

He rammed his fist into her gut, which quickly stopped her hopeless rambling, "You. Shut. Up." He snarled.

DDDDDD

Lana ran. Ran so fast that her legs went numb. But they were still behind her. Still following her.

She would not be the coyotes' prey again.

She pushed herself faster, into a dead sprint. But they only increased their speed, letting out barks through their pants. There was no way she could outrun the coyotes.

_I just have to make it into town, _Lana told herself. _Then Sam will fry them._

It had been stupid to go this far out of town, but she'd wanted to go swimming, and the stretch of ocean closest to Perdido Beach had been far too inhabited. Kids ran up to her every minute, demanding that she help them with scratched knees or sore teeth.

_This is what I get for being such a loner. _Lana thought bitterly.

She saw the first building of the town, and let out a yell of hope. The sand was loose, hard to run in. The coyotes were built for running in these types of conditions.

She saw the first kids on the beach, and started screaming. _Go get Sam. PLEASE! _She somehow managed to articulate. The kids saw the coyotes and Lana. Most of them turned and ran, and a couple stayed, hesitant. _This was their healer. _But the coyotes were freakin' huge.

"Lana!" She heard Quinn yell. He was twenty feet out to see, coming back in with the days' haul.

"Quinn!" She screamed. Hope added wings to her feet; she made a start for the water. _Can coyotes swim?_

She never got the chance to find out, because before she reached the water's edge, the coyotes jumped her. Tackled her. Bit her around the ankles and wrists and started to drag her away. She screamed and tried to struggle, but they only increased their grip.

"LANA!" Quinn jumped off his boat and swam the last few feet. The other kids, seeing that a big-ole-fifteen-year-old had decided to fight, joined him. Lana shrieked as coyotes attacked them, biting and snarling and ripping to kill. She fought like a wildcat, but they dragged her back down the beach long before Sam could arrive.

DDDDDDDDD

She didn't know how long she lay there in the darkness, alone except for the slug. It could've been hours or weeks or years, for all she knew.

Eventually, Brittney began to realize that she was not completely alone. That it was not completely silent. A sort of strange humming echoed through her tomb. After a long, long time, she began to see a greenish, glowing light.

And then she knew what she had to do.

She had to get out of here. Escape. And then she had to kill the twin brothers, Caine and Sam Temple.

The Darkness said so.

**I should update it next week, although it might be longer if I decide to write another one shot. Don't forget to review! This is kind of a gruesome story, but I couldn't resist.**


	2. A World To Destory

**I'm sorry I took such a long time to update! Recently, I've been going through a tough emotional time, and school has been nothing but hell. However, updates are going to be far more frequent from now on.**

**Without further ado, I give you . . . chapter two!**

Lana was in her own personal hell. A hell that never ended, that went on and on as the coyotes clawed at her.

Wherever they scratched, bit, clawed, she placed her shaking hands on. She'd heal the wound while they opened ten more scratches on her. Still, she would do anything to keep from dying. Even if it meant staying in this hell.

They seemed to purposefully not kill her. Maybe they just wanted to play with their food. _Or maybe they want me for the Darkness._

Dying would be preferable to being slave to the Gaiaphage again, actually.

Vaguely, she was aware of them dragging her by her broken right leg. Whenever she put her hands to it, a coyote wound snap at her fingers, and she would draw back. She couldn't even feel the pain of teeth piercing flesh anymore. She drifted in and out of unconsciousness, half-dead from blood loss.

But she was not going to die any time soon.

When she woke up, she knew instantly that it was nearby. The thing that had haunted her dreams since the beginning of the FAYZ. She gulped, tried to scramble back, feeling her way through the darkness. A coyote growled at her, and she drew into a little ball. She knew better than to anger the coyotes.

A flash of anger shot through her. She hated this! She freaking hated this! Just because she had a useful power, the monster called the Darkness used its beasts to do whatever it wanted with her. She knew what it wanted. A body. Well, she wasn't going to fucking give it one.

Her hands curled into fists, and she tried to stand. _Shit!_ She'd forgotten about her leg. She put her hands where it hurt the most, and almost fainted at the slightest touch.

The good part was that she was still in control of her body. The bad part was that she wouldn't be that way for long.

She started to heal her leg. She couldn't see anything, and she figured that the coyotes had dragged her into the Darkness's cavern. It smelled awful in ways she couldn't describe, of rotting and death.

She waited, tense, for a long time. But the Darkness didn't speak. Maybe it was sleeping, or something. Could monsters born of radiation sleep? She sighed with relief when the bone popped, knitting together. She stumbled to her feet, stepped carefully. The last thing she wanted was to step on a coyote.

No coyotes. She felt her way forward until the tip of her foot hit something. She bent down, felt at it. Soft . . . cold .. . and then she hit fabric.

_A person!_

A ridiculous girly scream escaped her throat. She scrambled back, fighting another shriek. Who had died down here? God, was it Duck?

Her morbid curiosity got the better of her. She reached out again, her fingers barely skimming the body. She figured out pretty fast it was way too big to be Duck. She hit face, bit down revulsion, and wondered if she could make out who it was by the shape of the face. No way.

It was time to pull back. No sense in freaking herself out anymore. As she scooted back, her knees ran over something hard and coiled.

_No way. No way could it be . . ._

Trembling, Lana ran her fingers over the hard thing. Found it connected to the person's upper arm. They didn't have hand, then, did they? Her heart beat at a million miles a minutes. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes (even though that didn't make a difference) and gripped the whip-like object.

Exactly only one person in the FAYZ with a whip for an arm. Drake. But he was alive. He was ordering Coates kids around. So who the hell did this body belong to?

_It can't be Drake,_ she told herself. It's not decomposed at all.

That didn't help. Why as a non-decomposed copy of Drake's body doing in the clutches of the Darkness?

As soon as she thought this, she realized what it could be doing. She leapt to her feet, turned, and ran. Tripped over rocks, banged her knees and hands. Warm blood trickled down her legs, formed in her palms. She ignored the pain. She had to run, get out of here, get away from the body. _Faster._

_Faster!_

_Before it-!_

And then the Darkness spoke.

It wasn't in her thoughts. It was deeper than that. It reached within her soul, tore the words from her heart. She fell to her knees, head tipped back in an endless scream. She found herself crying out the words as it whispered them to her.

_Heal the body! Make it live!_

_DDDDD_

If she had thought the coyotes had been hell, she'd been wrong. If she'd thought that being in the Gaiaphage's grasp before had been hell, she was wrong. Nothing could have prepared her for the horror that giving life to the body was.

It was like feeding a little bit of her life into it.

Her hands pressed over its heart, she pumped her life into it. Her heart, her warmth, her reason for survival. Emotions. Pleasures. They drained out of her with every gut-wrenching second. She felt her humanity draining away.

The Darkness was taking her. Everything that made her _her, _it was taking them from her. It wouldn't be her, of course. For one, it was using a body exactly that looked more like Drake's. For another, her memories stayed with her, but they slowly lost their vigor, their flare. They didn't mean anything. It didn't take her personality, but it robbed her of her senses, her emotions, her reactions, desires . . . her thoughts started to disappear as she lost the ability to comprehend what was happening.

_No!_ She managed to think.

The Darkness with a human body. God, it would be hell upon earth. Who knew how quickly it would have the entire FAYZ under its control? She had to stop it! Somehow, she had to keep them monster from unleashing.

It hadn't taken everything. It had left her with her hate –it probably had plenty of that. And it had left her with her ability to love.

No. She couldn't give that away. Compassion was what made her human.

A monster with limitless power, and no compassion? She couldn't unleash the monster - She no longer was able to comprehend the "world." She had to give it her humanity, so perhaps Sam would be able to stop it.

Somehow, she still had the ability to cry. She couldn't feel the tears pour down her face, but her eyes burned. She sucked in one last breath – and then it took breathing from her.

If she died, then it wouldn't matter. And it then it would have everything it needed to kill everyone she loved.

Her hand started to loosen itself from the body's back, against her own will. She had to do this. Even if it meant giving everything up.

She slowly gathered her love. Her love for Quinn, her friends, her family, her dog, the world. How she truly felt, deep down. She hid it most of the time. But she drew it forth now. Let it consume her, drive the dull senselessness from her body. It felt good and warm, like happiness. But she couldn't hold on to it.

She had to give it to the Darkness.

She shoved it at the body. Shoved everything through her fingers. Shoved all of her love away. Forced it into the body.

She summoned one more coherent sentence before she faded into unconsciousness:

_I hate the Darkness._

_DDDD_

The Darkness wriggled his fingers. His hands. Marveled at the wonder of it all. He now had a gender, desires and necessities! They felt more than fantastic; they felt real. He smiled. His first smile in his entire life. He could do whatever he wanted. The extraordinary concept of moving had been something it – no,_ he_ – had only dreamed about for so long. Impossible to describe. Simply the most fantastic thing in the world.

He had fashioned this body from that of the body of the boy, yes. But he didn't look like the sadistic teenager. He looked like an Angel from a bible the healer had read. Ah, the Darkness had dreamed about this body for so long. Fashioned every detail.

The smile on his lips turned malicious. He could move. And he would take revenge on the twin brothers.

First he would strip away everyone they valued; the elder brother had his city, his friends, and his girlfriend. The younger had a love of his life. He would take this people, hurt them belonged imagination. That was why he'd instructed the sadistic boy to take the younger brother's love.

First, they would taste crushing defeat. Then he would kill them. Kill the bastards that had destroyed the Darkness' attempts to free himself, and burn their bones to-

The cavern lit up. One second, there was nothing but oblique darkness. And then, thousands of tiny balls of flame roared into appearance, blasting into the ceiling, mirror the Darkness' rage.

The Darkness was surprised. And then he remembered the powers the humans had developed, because of the radiation that had leaked before . . . .before he had a body. This body appeared to have absorbed a power as well.

He didn't need a power. If he so much as drew near a person, the radiation that leeched from his body would poison them.

The healer stirred. In the dimly lit clearing, he could make out her face clearly. Skin that was naturally tan, but had a pale tinge to it from lack of sun. Long lashes brushed the healer's cheeks. Long dark hair fell over her face.

Then her eyes flew open. The most vivid eyes the Darkness had ever seen.

He didn't know what to do with this emotion. It was as unfamiliar to him as the notion of moving; and he had never expected to deal with it. He shouldn't have to; he hadn't drawn it from her body.

She'd given it to him. Sneaky human. Tried to tone him down a little bit, had she?

She was alive. Her own natural abilities as a healer must keep her body from suffering any damage from the radiation. When she had fallen into unconscious, the abilities he had taken from her had been restored. But something wasn't right. The passion he normally saw in those eyes had vanished, replaced with cruel sarcasm.

The girl rose to her feet, and the Darkness finally remembered her name. _Lana. _The most beautiful name in the entire world. She surveyed him. Her lip curled.

"Man, you turned out fine."

The Darkness smiled. Held out its hand. She took it.

They had a world to destroy.

**I thank everyone who put my story on Alert, as well as all those lovely reviews! Please review and tell me what you think of this chapter. It doesn't have anything to do with Diane or Caine, but they'll be in the next chapter. Point out any serious Cannon errors ( I feel like I'm missing something :P)**

**-Life Starts Now**


	3. To The Surface

Chapter Three

**A/N: Reviews are love. Please give your opinions about the chapter. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. **

** I listened to "Mama" by My Chemical Romance while writing this. It fits the chapter well. **

** On with chapter three!**

He had to keep calm. Collected. Think rationally-

_ Damn it, where the hell is she?_

His fist smashed into the alley wall. Caine ignored the pain as skin tore, bones protested. It didn't matter. This physical, bodily pain was superficial. The pain he felt in his heart? Deep down? Yeah, that was real.

He'd searched for three days. _Three days, damn it!_ Asked everyone, ignored the cruel glares or the blank gazes. No Diana.

If only Sam – his idiot brother – hadn't been so concerned with the goddamned healer. God, Caine didn't care about the healer. Let Sam send all those pretty little search parties after Lana. But what about Diana? She could be dead or dying!

_No!_ His heart clenched. Diana wasn't dead. He would have felt it. Would have known. Somehow.

He found the strength to walk forward. His boots scraped the alley ground with a dull scratch. Up ahead was a circle of three preteens, at the mouth of the alley. He'd ask them. Maybe they'd seen her. Maybe.

They fell silent when they saw him. He must look like hell, he knew. Dark shadows under his eyes – he'd slept fitfully and little since she'd disappeared – bedraggled, shirtsleeve ripped. He honestly didn't care.

"What do you want?" A scrawny boy snarled.

"Look," He shook his head. "I'm not out for trouble, okay? I just want to know if any of you've seen Diana." He forced himself to be polite. A challenge.

"You mean your girlfriend?" A girl with curly, matted blond hair jutted her chin in the air. "Why would we have seen her?"

"Never mind," Caine spat back, turned to leave. And that was when the third kid spoke.

"I've seen her."

Caine whirled around so fast he almost tripped. Stared at the boy, who couldn't have been older than ten. He looked as exhausted as Caine felt, and his entire body trembled. "I saw her," The boy repeated.

"When?" Caine demanded.

"Three days ago-"

"Aaron, don't talk about that. You're just making it up," The girl said to him. Caine fixed his gaze on her, and she fell silent for a moment.

"Don't try to hurt us." The scrawny boy said. "You know the rule, mutie," He stepped forward. Hostile. Daring. "If you hurt a townie, you're out."

It took everything Caine had not to shove the boy through a wall. "Please," He said. "Just tell me where you saw Diana."

"He didn't see her," The girl snapped. "There's no way he could've-"

"I swear!" Aaron insisted. "I saw her, and Drake was dragging her off by the hair, and-"

"If Drake had come to Perdido beach, we'd all be dead, moron," The girl snarled. She shot Caine a glare, and shook her head. "Come on, we're going."

The three of them walked off.

. . . Leaving Caine to fall to his knees.

His mind was stuck on one word. _No. No. No. No. _Drake couldn't have Diana. It wasn't possible. She'd've screamed, she'd've fought, she'd've done something-

_ No. _

But it made perfect sense, in a sick twisted way. Drake hated Diana with an awful passion. And she'd been out alone three days ago. If Drake had her, who knew-

He'd have killed her.

_No._

_ No._

Diana wasn't dead. She couldn't be.

Caine staggered to his feet, took off down the alley.

He was going to kill Drake.

DDDDDD

Something roared in her ears. A dull throb pulsed through her body. Her mouth tasted like blood. And all over, Diana felt like hell.

Something glued her eyes closed. She tried to wipe her eyelids, but her left arm didn't move. She used her right, scraped congealed blood from her eyes.

_I'm still in the school. And alive. Why am I alive?_

Her consciousness finally recognized the fact that she was in immense pain. She bit down her scream. Her left arm was on fire, sharp jolts of pain lanced through the bone, echoed through her body. Every nerve screamed. But she gritted her teeth and managed to haul herself into a sitting position.

Alone. No one in classroom. No one but her.

Naked. Bruised in places she didn't want to think about. Covered in blood and dust and grime and other awful things.

_Again, why am I alive?_

She didn't think she could stand. It hurt to move her head. She gulped in air, and her lungs protested. _Ugh, definitely cracked. _

_ I have to get out of here. Come on. Stand up, Diana._

Somehow, she rose to her feet. For a second, she held her balance. Then it all crashed down on her; the horror of what had happened to her. She stumbled back, smashed into a desk. Her world exploded into agony.

She was going to kill Drake.

DDDDD

The earth pressed down on Brittney. If she had to breath, she would've suffocated by now. As it was, nausea and revulsion rolled over her. She was alone. _Alone._ Alone in the darkness.

_Not alone. It's there with me. The Dark. _

Brittney felt a lot better about after she thought that.

She started to move, to shift her weight. Dirt clogged her throat, her nose, pasted itself over her eyes. Even though the insects and worms and creepy crawlies and other disgusting things were down there with her . . . she was still moving.

She didn't know what the Dark had done, but now she could move.

She pushed. Crawled. Dragged earth down. Cupped it, scooped it away. Worked, steadily.

_Have to get out. Have to kill them. Twin brothers. Sam and Caine. _

_ Kill them. Kill them. Kill them. Kill them now. _

_ No, _something inside of her whispered. Sam was her leader. The love she felt for him, it couldn't be doused by anything . . .

But the Dark said to kill him. So kill him she would. Shove and get out this hellhole. _Kill them. Kill them. Kill them. Kill them . . ._

She fought for hours. Days. She didn't need to stop, sleep, eat, drink, breath. Her heart didn't even beat. She just had to go forward. Kill the brothers.

The earth grew looser, until she no longer had to scrape skin from her hands to free the soil. Her fingers, raw to the bone, met the surface. Cold. Chill. It scraped her body, what was left of it.

And she rose from her grave, slumped to the ground. Instinct told her to inhale, take a breath, but she couldn't. Chunks of rotten flesh fell from her legs and stomach, filled the air with the putrid scent.

The slug had been lodged in her bone; it glowed with the effort of animating a moving corpse. It managed to keep most of her face intact, although the flesh had turned greenish-grayish brown and little was left of her hair. Her hands and feet had been reduced to bone.

Oh, well. The slug turned yellow and energy pulsed through Brittney. _Get up. Get up now. Find them. Kill them. Kill them. Killkillkillkillkillkillkill . . ._

She walked. Onwards. One eye had fallen out in her struggle for the surface; the other was useless. But she could see out of the empty socket, and her feet traversed the familiar streets. Perdido Beach was empty; the moon was full in the sky, clouds threatening to block it out.

She knew where Sam and Caine were, better than she knew her own name. Brittney, right? It didn't matter. All that mattered was that Sam was a mile and a half a way, and Caine was about half a mile.

_He's closer. Kill him. Now. Kill. Kill. Kill . . . _

The Dark urged her on, and the bullet eating at what remained of her soul, the dead girl shuffled through Perdido Beach.

**A/N: Well, here's chapter three. It was surprisingly fun to write. Although now that I look over it, nothing really happened. Damn. **

** About Brittney: I think she would be defined as a "zombie." You thought I would bring her back intact? :-P Heh, you thought wrong. She's been down there for MONTHS. Frankly, it's wrong of me to even give her rotting flesh . . . **

** Thanks, my wonderful readers! Until next time! (Don't forget to review :-P)**


	4. Concept of Humanity

Chapter Four

Lana knocked down the door with a few well-placed kicks. When it clattered into the little house, out of his line of sight, she turned to the Darkness and said. "Are you coming or not?"

He followed her into the house. It was an old shack, out in the middle of the desert. They'd found it after miles of travel. He neither hungered, nor desired water, nor required rest, but he knew she must be suffering. Her personality wouldn't let her admit her wearies. She'd trudged forward, through the desert, looking like a queen in rags.

She was already in the kitchen, rummaging through the counter. She found a can of beans and started to try to smash it open.

"Here." The sound of his voice still surprised him. He'd never imagined having a voice before. Surprisingly, it made things easier. He'd thought it would be tiring and useless to the humans, but the ease with which they communicated! His own was raspy. He still didn't fully understand how to control his emotions and tone.

No matter; he would learn.

"I'll open it." A sentence. A pure, full, sentence. Communication was beautiful.

She eyed him, shrugged, and handed it to him. He broke open the can with one hit, and then poured the food into a dusty bowl. His strength was second to none. He liked that, being strong. It gave him greater dominion.

She started to eat, not looking at him, just chewing in a contented manner. He studied her face. Before, she would have jumped from a cliff rather than accept help from him. Now, she simply didn't care.

He'd returned a copy of her emotions and such to her. But she'd given him one thing. Strange. Everything else he'd stolen, and as such, he couldn't figure out how to give it back.

Love. The bright love she'd given him almost burned. Fierce love for her family back at home, the people of Perdido beach, her friends, Quinn . . .

Every time he thought of that despicable Quinn, he wanted to slam his fist against something and scream until the thought faded away.

He supposed this was what the humans called Jealously. Such a strange emotion; he'd taken it from her without a second thought, but now he regretted it. It was such a waste of time. So pointless.

But he supposed he'd felt jealousy before in his monster state. When he'd been jealous of the humans, for their ability to walk and move and jump and sing and run and laugh . . .

He wanted that. Oh, he wanted all of that. He wanted to experience everything. _Everything._

She finished eating and lay down on a beaten old couch, eyes shut. He knew she wasn't asleep from the way she breathed.

He sat down next to her head and tried not to disturb her.

After a few minutes, she cracked an eyelid. "So what's the master plan?"

Humans were so confusing. In his monster state, he could use their thoughts to comprehend them. Now he had to audibly ask questions.

"What?"

"Are you going to like, take over the FAYZ or something? And how are you going to do it?"

Domination. Yes, he wanted that. He wanted revenge, on the two brothers that had held him back from tasting this freedom. He wanted to destroy them and then he wanted to destroy all the humans and then he wanted to try everything in the FAYZ. He wanted to taste and see and touch and . . .

"I suppose you could say that." He said. "I want to destroy." Destroy. That word felt good in his mouth. Promising.

She grinned. "Interesting."

Before, she would have screamed at him, told him he was a lunatic. Now she said. "Need any help?"

"You don't care what happens to the humans?"

She held up a hand and stared at it, wriggled her fingers. "Hell, I don't care. They bother me. They piss me off. I keep getting all these stupid memories of them. I don't like that. I want to forget it." She turned those beautiful eyes on him. Her solemn expression twisted into a cruel smile. "And it might be fun to watch them scream."

Yes, this was not the Lana of before. Before this Lana might be even more interesting.

She sat up. "So what's the plan?"

"I want revenge," He said. "On the twin brothers."

"Oh, Sam and Caine," She said dismissively.

He told her how he would destroy them from the inside and the outside, and how the first stages of his plan had already been completed. Her eyes glinted.

"Nice. But how are you going to hurt Sam?"

"There are three things the eldest brother values." He held up three fingers. "Friends. City-"

"And his girlfriend, Astrid." She said thoughtfully. "So how are we going to take those things away from him? How are we going to _hurt_ him?" Her eyes were eager. "Brittney?"

He gave a smile. She could be murderous when she wanted to, couldn't she? "No, the dead girl will _kill_ them. I want to make them _suffer_ first."

"Attack Perdido beach," She suggested. "With your brand-new power," Her lip curled. "And all I've got is this lame one. Lucky." She flexed her fingers.

"No," He said. "Your power will be useful. Do not worry."

She stared at her fingers again, speculating. Then looked up at him. Her face was very close to his. It made him shiver.

He didn't know who initiated it, but all of a sudden they were kissing.

Human experiences. He'd wanted them so much. In the last day or so, he'd experienced many things. Wind whipped through his hair. The taste of hot desert sun. Feet on rock and sand. A coyote's howl. Each had been a delight to his senses.

But all of them paled in comparison to kissing Lana.

Vibrant. Impossible. Beautiful. He was the Darkness. The Gaiaphage. He wasn't even human, not really. But how could he feel like this, so hot and painful and wondrous that he felt like he was going to explode . . . ?

Lana. She had given this to him.

_Thank you. _

He'd never even understood those words, why humans would require the concept. But now he felt deep gratitude. For he wouldn't know what to do if he_ couldn't_ feel like this.

Lana. So much smaller and weaker than him. But he knew her not to be fragile. She believed she could handle anything. Maybe she was right.

She was his. Forever. His to protect, his to _love._ And when he killed all of the humans, they would be the last two people in the FAYZ.

DDDDDDD

Caine had to rest. He hadn't done so in days, and he simply couldn't keep himself upright any longer.

He collapsed on the side of the road and his eyes closed against his own will. His last thought before he drifted into unconsciousness was: _I should have brought a freaking car._

He woke up thirty minutes later, every instinct screaming for him to get up and run. The putrid scent of rotting flesh bombarded his senses. He staggered to his feet, glancing around wildly. In the dim light of dusk, his eyes were nearly useless.

But then . . . he saw it. His gorge rose.

_Oh my fucking god._ A zombie. Or something. Rotten flesh dripping from its bones. Mouth open endlessly. A slightest gasp escaped from it as it staggered forward.

Twenty feet away. No, ten.

He knew that if the thing got a hold of him, it would all be over.

He raised his hands, tried to throw it away with his telekinesis. He tried, concentration waning. But he simply couldn't grab onto it.

He gritted his teeth and grabbed at a nearby tree. The thing kept shuffling. So close that he could almost count the maggots wriggling through its skull.

He flung the tree at it, roots ripping and snapping. The tree sailed through the air, and right when he thought it would collapse onto the zombie, it bounced off. Literally. As if there was a force field around the creature.

He ducked under the tree and it landed half a dozen feet away. Stared at the zombie in shock.

"Caine-" It moaned, one hand outstretched. Five feet.

_Shit. _

He turned and ran. It followed him at that slow shuffle. As he made his escape, he knew, with a sinking heart, that sooner or later he would have to sleep. Sooner or later, it would catch him.

**A/N: Wow, it's been a long time since I've updated! I wish I could say it was for a good reason; like, I was working on school stuff, or I was working on my Original Fiction story, but I can't. Admittedly, I was reading manga. :-P I'm such a bad girl. **

**Next chapter will take much less time to update. It will focus primarily on Caine/Drake/Diana. **

**Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review! **


	5. Hello and Goodbye

Chapter Five

Everything ached. It seemed like every inch of her was bruised. But if Diana stopped now, Drake might find her.

And then . . .

She swallowed at the thought. In Drake's mercy, she would count herself lucky if he killed her.

Blood. Everywhere. Her mangled, ruined, useless arm hung at her side. If she found Lana, then she might be able to use it again. Maybe. But her likelihood of contacting the healer was zero to a billion. She gritted her teeth to keep from passing out.

Drake wanted her to be weak. So she would beg for his forgiveness. So she would do whatever he said.

Screw him.

Her bare feet left behind footprints of rust- colored blood. She couldn't feel the numb chill any longer. She didn't feel embarrassment any more. The pain ate at everything. It didn't mattered that she was naked. Getting the hell out of Coates Academy mattered.

Her footsteps echoed as she staggered down the hallway. There, the seventh grade science classroom! Her Spanish class, long-since scoured for food and useful items.

So familiar. Funny that a place like this could turn into a living hell.

More footsteps.

She sucked in a breath, winced as her cracked ribs protested, and looked up. She recognized the heavy saunter. Just around the corner.

Drake.

_I'm screwed._

Someone grabbed her shoulder. She bit down her shriek and whirled. A teenager around her age. Gaunt. Scared. Tall and skinny.

"In here," He hissed, and dragged her into the Spanish classroom. He swung the door shut with a soft _thump!_ Then crouched against the door, listening. She held her breath.

They heard the heavy footsteps walk past. Then Drake screamed in rage. "DIANA! Where the hell are you!" She heard pound off.

She sighed in relief.

"That was close," The boy whispered. His voice, hoarse and shaky, reminded her that she was trapped in a classroom with one of the few psychopaths that had remained at Coates academy.

"Let go of me," She snarled, tried to shove her way out of the classroom.

"Careful, sweetheart, careful," He dragged her back. "You don't want to go out there, not with Drake looking for you. You'll head out the window." He pulled off his shirt and handed it to her. She decided not to argue on the clothing front and tugged it on.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"Ash. I'm from the town, which is probably why you don't recognize me. I came here because of Zil and his gang. Now, you'd better get out of here . . . " He froze. "Your feet." He managed.

"What?"

"They're covered in blood."

"So?"

"So you left footprints. A trail. Aw, shit. Sweetheart, get out of here. I'll hold him off."

"What?" She started, right as Drake snapped his whip against the door.

She screamed and staggered back. Pieces of wood went flying as Drake ripped his way through the door and into the classroom. He stepped inside, grinning like a shark. He cracked his whip.

"The door wasn't locked." Ash pointed out. "Diana, you should probably go."

Drake cracked his whip at her. A wall of glass shot from Ash's fingers and spread over the room. The glass shattered when the whip hit it, but it blocked Drake's blow.

Spikes of glass flew from Ash's fingers. Drake roared and broke most of them with a single blow, but a few sliced his skin.

"Run! I'll hold him off!" Ash yelled.

With her one good hand, she grabbed a desk and smashed it against the window. Glass broke, cascaded to the floor. She ignored the stabs of pain that sliced through her when she grabbed the sill – and a good amount of broken glass – and started to clamber out.

"Why are you helping me?" She screamed.

"Because I'm not a jackass like him," Ash snarled. He sent glass flying at Drake. Drake ducked underneath it, and slammed his whip at him. Ash saved himself with another wall of glass just in time. "Because I couldn't see you get hurt. Because I wanted to make up for everything. Now just go!"

She hauled herself out the window and hit the ground. She inhaled, tasted sweet freedom, and staggered to her feet. Somehow, she managed to break into a run.

DDDD

When Caine saw Diana, he wanted to cry.

He wanted to scream and murder someone, but mostly he wanted to cry.

She looked like hell. But she was alive.

He sprinted over to her. Suddenly, he didn't feel his exhaustion or famine. Elation and fury poured through him.

"Diana?" He said, and his voice cracked.

She looked up at him. "Caine," She said dully.

He didn't know how to react. How did one act in this situation?

He held out his arms.

She fell into them.

She didn't have to strength to hug him back, but he held her around her wounds. Just held her for a few seconds. She didn't cry. She was too strong for that.

But he did. He sobbed and kneeled down in front of her. He promised that he would fucking rip Drake apart.

"You can't kill him," She gasped back. "He'll kill you, Caine. I don't know what he is. But I don't think he's alive anymore. He's a monster. A monster of the Darkness. I want to kill him. I want to kill him so much that it hurts. But we have to get away and get help."

Her face crumpled. "Please," She begged. "I just want to go back to town . . . and I want food . . . and a fucking shower . . . and I want my mom to be there. I just want my mom to be there."

Her mother was dead.

He kissed her forehead and promised it would be okay, even though he knew he was lying.

"Remember my fifteenth birthday?" She said after a few seconds.

"Every bit." The worst and best day of his life. The day she told him she hated him. The day she told him she loved him.

"Remember when I told you I didn't know why I loved you?" She whispered.

"Yeah." He rasped back.

"I still don't know why. But . . . please . . . promise me . . . promise me you still love me."

He promised and promised and promised until he words ran together. She was obviously in pain, but she didn't make a sound. Just buried her forehead against his shoulder.

And then he heard the footsteps.

He turned.

The zombie.

Hideous. Its stench threatened to choke him. Both he and Diana stared at the thing.

"Run!" He yelled. He grabbed her good hand tried to drag her. She stumbled, tripped, fell. He yelled and scooped her up into his arms, but he couldn't run with her in his arms. She managed to get to her feet, but the zombie advanced until it grabbed Diana's wrist.

She shrieked and shook the thing off. Then they turned and ran.

DDDD

"Caine." She panted "My arm."

He looked back at her. They'd run for about a minute, and adrenaline still poured through his veins.

"What?" He said. "I'm sorry it hurts."

She shook her head. "That's not it. Look."

She pushed up the sleeve and shoved him her flesh. He gaped in horror. Her skin was green. Freaking green and brown and rotten. All he could do was stare for a few seconds.

"I can't move my arm," She whispered. "I can't feel it. It doesn't hurt any more. But it's . . . dead . . . "

Then she pulled down her collar and showed him how the rot was spreading. For a few seconds, he watched it spread from her shoulder down to her collarbone. Then he started to panic.

"What is that?" He cried. "From when it touched you? God, does it hurt? How fast is it spreading?"

"I don't know! It's getting faster!" She pulled up her t-shirt to show that it had spread to her stomach. He watched it cover her hips and thighs.

"Shit!" He cursed. He reached out to grab her arm, but she flinched away.

"Don't touch me." She rasped. "I don't know if you'll get it."

"Diana-" He started. She dropped to the ground, and didn't get up.

"I'm okay," She whispered. "Just don't touch me. I'm okay. I'm okay, Caine, I'm okay."

She kept saying it until the rot coated her head and she'd turned into a corpse.

He stared at her for a few seconds. There as no way. No freaking way. She couldn't be dead. No. Not possible.

Not after what she'd been through.

Not possible.

Not. Freaking. Possible.

"Diana?" He whispered.

She didn't respond, because she was dead.

"Diana?" He whispered again.

He screamed. He reached out, and with his telekinesis, snatched a tree from the side of the road and threw it as far as he could.

He didn't touch her.

He'd honor her last wish.

He decided everything.

Including Drake.

**A/N:**

**Sorry it's been such a long time since I updated. My friend loved her birthday present, but it was 150,000 words and took quite a while to write . Anyway, I know I killed off a major character, but I think resurrecting characters is for the wimpy.**

**Anyway, I'll try to update within a few days. Please review!**


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